Melody Altschuler

Dr. Melody Altschuler is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky, affiliated with the Center for Innovation in Population Health, Department of Health Management and Policy, and Department of Psychology. Her research focuses on neurodevelopmental mechanisms, developmental psychopathology, and public health policy. She holds a PhD from the University of Minnesota and a BA from Bates College. Key awards include the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and the Sara S. Sparrow Fellowship.

Education:

• PhD in Developmental Psychology, University of Minnesota (Institute of Child Development)
• B.A. in Psychology, Bates College

Research Focus: Integrates neurobiological and developmental theories to study adaptation across neurodiverse populations. Uses community-based methods to bridge research/practice/policy gaps, emphasizing strength-based models for population health. Current projects explore compensatory mechanisms in ASD, ADHD, and neurotypical development.

Key Contributions: Developed the TCOM framework for health systems (2024), advanced theory-of-mind assessment tools for neurodivergent children (2017-2023), and published on interoception/alexithymia relationships (2019).

Awards:

• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow
• Sara S. Sparrow Fellow in Clinical Neuroscience (Yale Child Study Center)

Labs/Teams: Leads the MINDS Lab (Mental Health, Identity, Neurodiversity, & Development in Society), focused on translational research to improve mental health systems through lived experience integration. Collaborates across brain-behavior-cognition domains to inform policy.